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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25880209">Breathing again</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ladibard_Wordsmith28/pseuds/Ladibard_Wordsmith28'>Ladibard_Wordsmith28</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Cuddling &amp; Snuggling, F/M, Fireplaces, Forehead Kisses, Gentle Kissing, Headmaster Severus Snape, Hogwarts Headmaster's Office, Love Confessions, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Post-War, Professor Hermione Granger, Professor Neville Longbottom, Severus Snape Lives, Surprise Kissing</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-08-13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-08-13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 00:48:43</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,163</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25880209</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ladibard_Wordsmith28/pseuds/Ladibard_Wordsmith28</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Sequel to Resignation Rejected- Severus confesses why he wants Hermione Granger to continue teaching at Hogwarts while kissing her in the most delirious ways. Down the line, she realizes Snape is indeed a starving man. He is hungry to know how a gentle touch feels like, he is hungry to feel the warmth of the fireplace caress his face. But he makes her heart melt when he openly begs in front of her to teach him how to sleep, now that he has finally learnt to breathe freely once again.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Hermione Granger/Severus Snape</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>146</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Breathing again</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Disclaimer: The regular disclaimer still stays in place, I owe nothing but the AU and OC. The rest belongs to JKR. My mind lives in the Harry Potter fanfiction world though my body is still thankfully anchored in the monotonous reality of existence. My themes, plotline, and storyline may, therefore, get indirectly influenced by many of the brilliant fanfiction writers on this site. And I humbly bow to such creative genius who give me much needed literary pleasures to see through the toils of mundane life. Reviews would encourage this introvert writer to peep out of her literary closet.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  
</p><p>
  <strong>Breathing Finally</strong>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Kneading the nape of her neck, Severus Snape whispered over her head, toying with one of her unruly strands which had managed to escape her thick braid,” I think I am in love with you.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Huh?” Hermione Granger mumbled over his chest, fiddling with one of those numerous buttons she had started fancying off late. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Instead of repeating his words, he had pushed her gently against the stone wall of the ancient castle and looked into her surprised eyes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Granger had taken the liberty to stand on tiptoes and threading her fingers through his long jade black hair, she pushed those strands away from his long face and held them together at the nape of his neck. Her eyes dilated and she whispered, studying his pale face,” you are beautiful, like an angel.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He didn't know what to tell her, he was never too good at handling emotions. Cupping her face, he had hungrily caught her lips. She fluttered like a trapped butterfly in his arms. Or that’s what he thought in the beginning. Because just when he had started deepening the kiss he found her hooking one of her legs around his waist, desperate to get closer.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Picking her up, having successfully solved this huge problem of height difference, Snape groaned in her mouth, when she tugged his hair a little harder.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tearing away his lips from her dominant ones, he pulled her head back, by tugging her braid and nuzzled against her slender throat. Every bit of the Gryffindor witch was vibrating with anticipation. But he shook his head, when she flexed her legs around him once again, rubbing herself against his arousal. He hissed,” You will be the death of me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Gracefully, holding her in his arms, he had walked up to the nearest armchair and sat down, mindful of throwing a privacy charm at the roaring fireplace. She waited obediently for him to do something or at least say something, but the man below her, sat still, holding on to her possessively.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Her whisper jolted him from his million thoughts,” How?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He smirked into her voluminous hair, which he had succeeded in untying by this time. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How? With my fingers, I undid your braid, I don't like them all bunched up together. I prefer them swirling like wild flames around your head. How? I think I should have asked you that question a million times before? How did you manage to set fire to my robes? How did you manage to brew polyjuice potion? How did you manage to solve my riddle? How did you manage to learn about basilisk? How could you keep on believing I am on the side of the Light? But above all, I wanted to know why did you save me? And please don't tell me it was the right thing to do?” he whispered, his desolation ringing in his voice.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I couldn’t quite believe that you could die? I couldn’t wrap my mind around the fact that you would give up? I knew you expected nothing from life as such. But there were things you still loved, like potions and Defense against Dark arts. You might have stubbornly maintained you hated teaching, but I know that too is a pretense. You hate tardiness, but when a student answered your tricky question, your eyes glinted with pride. At first, I just wanted to appease you. But as I grew up, I wanted to see that glint more often.” she confessed, rubbing her nose at his cravat.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hermione, is it too late to apologize?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why would you say that?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Because I tried to push you away. Because I wanted to distance myself away from you. Because I have been hurting you in the process and I can’t forgive myself for doing that.” Rubbing his knuckles over her blushing cheek, Snape looked into her eyes solemnly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So you said all that because you were afraid of falling in love again?” she asked in a small voice.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Instead of answering her question right away, Severus watched how the flames from the fireplace reflected on her glassy eyes and said,” I know it was you who changed my bandages at the hospital wing, every night. “</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Her eyes dilated and she swallowed,” How? You were sleeping…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You are the only one around who smells like vanilla and butterscotch. You are the only one who had chanted, ‘he is breathing again’ in the Shrieking Shack, while I lay on my own blood, barely hanging in there, trying to keep those many potions and that bezoar down, because you of all the people wanted me to live.” He noticed then, his thumb was busy tracing her lips. Leaning forward, he kissed her slowly, tenderly, determined to relish her longer than the last time.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When they parted, he was speaking again. “Hermione, you taught me how to breathe again. You taught me that at the end of the darkest of nights new dawn awaits. You taught me ways to look forward. And I don't know how to repay you…” Before he could say a word, her hand had covered his mouth.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hermione watched his shiver visibly and felt sad. This man took so much comfort from a small gesture, like an innocent touch. She watched his eyes close slowly and his long lashes quiver at the contact.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Cupping his face with both of her hands, she leaned a bit and whispered over his forehead,” You were saying?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Will it be selfish of me to ask you to stay back? Not just for the students who simply adore their young transfiguration professor, but also for the house-elves, who keep dropping by with small plates of desserts and tell me enthusiastically,’ Professor Granger shared this muggle recipe with the kitchen staff today’? And for Hagrid who looks forward to his Wednesday tea party? And for our Herbology professor Longbottom, who still runs all his proposals through you before submitting them to me? And for Mrs. Potter, our quidditch coach, who I think is pregnant and is planning to surprise her Auror husband, but is clueless about how to go about it at the same time?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When he heard her gasp and felt her jerk back, he had once again captured her lips in a sheering kiss. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Panting out of breath she said unbelievably,” Ginny is expecting! How did you know…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Apparently Poppy is bound to inform the Headmaster of Hogwarts about every health issue pertaining to its residents.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So you want me to stay back for them?” she pouted.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kissing her softly he mumbled against her lips,” I can’t thank you enough for teaching me how to breathe again. Yet, here I am asking you to teach me how to sleep?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She had hugged him fiercely at his confession. Sobbing over his head, planting small kisses now and then, she nodded against him and said,” I can't even dream of leaving you alone. I am staying by your side, insufferable-know-it-all or not.”</span>
</p>
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